Dhaka: The nation today welcomed the first day of the rainy season, which consists of two months of the Bangla Calendar, Ashar and Sharaban, in a befitting manner. Different cultural groups staged various functions to mark the arrival of Ashar, the third month of the Bangla year, in the country.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, one such leading group, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, welcomed the first day of Ashar by organizing 'Borsha Utshob (Rainy Season Festival)' at Nazrul Mancha at the Bangla Academy. The festival began at 7:30 in the morning with a salutation of nature through music, as stated in an Udichi press release.
Udichi Acting President Habibul Alam presided over the 'Borsha Kothon Porba' (discussion on rainy season). Coordinator of Bangladesh Gachh Rokhya Andolon (Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement) Amirul Rajib was the key speaker of the part while Udichi central general secretary Jamshed Anwar Tapan took part in the discussion. The speakers emphasized the July revolution's role in ending past misrule and advocated for the protection of human and natural rights, alongside establishing honor.
They also presented five demands, including halting unplanned urbanization and indiscriminate tree-cutting in the name of town and port beautification. The Bengali calendar announced the advent of the rainy season in tropical Bangladesh from today with the start of the month of Ashar, supposedly ending the spell of hot summer weather.
Despite erratic weather behavior due to global climate change, the rainy season, particularly Ashar, holds significant cultural importance in Bengali life. This significance is reflected in literature and performing arts. The blossoming 'Kadam' with its cloying fragrance generally marks the advent of the month, often highlighted by newspapers with front-page pictures of the flower.
The monsoon has been an integral part of Bengali life and literature since its earliest days, inspiring a wealth of poetry, songs, hymns, novels, and short stories that glorify the season and the beauty it brings to nature.